Shoe having carbon fiber composite spring soles and upper support

ABSTRACT

A shoe incorporating carbon fiber composite components to provide performance improvements in lighter weight, better shock absorption, traction by use of spikes, better support, substantial bounciness by being resistant to deformation and provides active ventilation. The shoe of this invention utilizes carbon fiber composite&#39;s to easily fabricate the designs.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/866,737 filed Aug. 16, 2013 and entitled SHOE HAVING CARBON FIBERCOMPOSITE SPRING SOLES AND UPPER SUPPORT, the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Current shoes are inadequate to prevent damages to the human bodyresulting from repetitive ambulatory activities on hard surfaces. Thisis because current shoes have two major deficiencies: heavy weight andlimited shock absorbing capability. Heavy shoes are a discomfort,wasting the wearer's energy, and causing strain and fatigue. For manygroups of people, such as athletes, soldiers, laborers, nurses,overweight people or older people, long-term wearing of heavy shoes andsubjecting the foot to the impacts of hitting hard ground often causeankle wobble, knee pain, back pain, muscle fatigue or, in some cases,shin splints. During a body's stride, the entire body weight transfersonto a single foot and the return force from hitting a hard surface isabout three times that of the body weight while walking and eight timesduring running, which is harmful when transmitted up the bone structure.In addition, the inability to substantially attenuate the shock force ofmodern shoes can result in cumulative muscle fatigue and diminishedendurance especially when performing repetitive activities. This isbecause the body's muscles naturally respond to the sharp rise in impactforce by momentarily tensing to prevent soft tissues and internalorgans.

Presently, elastic rubber polymer composites or polymer foams are widelyused as part of the sole to attenuate the force from hitting hardsurface. This traditional design has limited shock-absorbing effect. Thekinetic energy absorbing power is directly proportional to the dampingmaterials' displacement upon impact assuming the material's bendingforce can counter the impact force. In order to counter the large force,current shoes use polymer composite materials that are relatively hardwith very small deformable displacement. It would require extremelythick polymer materials under the foot to adequately damper the sockimpacts encountered by an active person. A thick shoe sole is notpractical, since it causes instability. Moreover, polymer materials onlyabsorb the shock; they do not store and recycle the energy. Polymercomposites are also heavy that are often the source of the main weightof a shoe. Furthermore, foamed materials lost cushioning properties“worn-out,” as they irreversibly degrade under the repeated compressionand shearing loads. In addition, the dynamic properties of the plasticfoamed materials are strongly temperature dependent. They become hard inwinter thus losing its cushioning properties.

Over the years, many improvements on shoe's shock absorption have beenmade, but they are far from sufficient to provide adequate protection.These include incorporating chambers cushions into the sole that arefilled with gas or liquid, as well as incorporating metal springs.Although air or liquid filled sole chambers increase absorbing, theiroverall displacement in response to a force impact is too small toadequately reduce the return force for most athletic activities.Incorporating springs made of plastic materials have been attempted.However, because plastic materials are poor spring materials that areeasily deformed, these shoes are made rigid with little displacement orflexibility, thus their shock absorbing is limited. Moreover,plastic-polymer materials, although easy to mold, still have theshortcomings of diminishing their response over time and becoming hardin wintertime, consequently loss their cushion function. Since littleenergy can be stored in these plastic springs, these shoes do notprovide energy recovery function as the “bouncing” effect as theinventive shoe does.

Using metal springs in theory can provide ideal shock absorption withlarge induced displacement and energy recycling with storing andbouncing back actions. Unfortunately, large springs are required tosupport a typical human weight; these shoes incorporating metal springsare too heavy and bulky with large sole thickness, adversariallyreducing the wearer's agility and comfort, preventing their wideadoption.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Carbon fiber springs overcome all the above shortcomings associated withtoday's shoes. Carbon fiber is a material of lightweight, high strengththan metal, and corrosion resistance. Compact and lightweight carbonfiber springs of high efficiency can be made into the shoe sole thatmove much larger displacement to absorb significantly more kineticenergy than deformable foams, gel, or plastics, without the increase inthickness of the shoe sole. Moreover, the carbon fiber spring consumesvery little energy so that it releases the kinetic energy back as a“bounce” and generates little heat (foam and plastics convert thekinetic energy into heat). In addition, the carbon fiber shoe is lighterin weight thus comfort to wear.

The present invention utilizes the unique characteristic of highmechanical strength of carbon fiber composites, or resistance todeformation to provide an energy recovery function with excellentresiliency or “bounciness” to the wearer. The present invention alsoutilizes the large displacement of specially designed springs upon forceimpact to significantly increase the damping of harmful force generatedby foot hitting a hard ground. The present invention provides alightweight, comfortable shoe, which dynamically cushions the wearer'sfoot against the impact forces encountered in physical activities withsprings made of carbon fiber based materials, thus overcoming manyshortcomings of current shoes.

Furthermore, the present invention provides protection and support forthe wearer's foot without increasing the weight or size by using carbonfiber composite components in the shoe sole and upper. It is also an aimof this invention to provide a thin and lightweight cushion havingintegrated springs or the equivalent of carbon fiber composite forinserting into existing shoes. Utilizing the large spring displacementor “bounciness,” the invention provides active ventilation to cool thefoot, preventing moisture, fungus, and odor build-up. Moreover, carbonfiber composites are washable and can sustain high temperature withoutchange shape, as well as little weather induced performance change. Theflammability of the inventive shoe is also reduced compared to foamcushions, as are toxic by-products of burning. The inventive shoe alsoprovides improved traction on hard surface by incorporating carbon fiberspikes embedded in the rubber like outsole.

One aspect of the present invention is to significantly reduce the shoeweight without compromising its protection functions, creating near barefoot experience. Another aspect of the invention is directed toconstruct a carbon fiber composite spring sole to better absorb shockand to store and release the kinetic energy, making foot activitiesharmless and effortless. The invention is also directed to produceactive air circulation function utilizing the large up-down motion ofthe inventive spring sole. Such an engineered carbon fiber compositespring based sole of high efficiency and thin construction is alsointended to be used directly as a cushion to be inserted into existingshoe, providing comfort and relieve for less rigorous everydayactivities.

One embodiment of the present invention is a shoe comprising an upperbody including a back support, a mid support, a front toe section, and abottom outsole; a sole interconnected to a bottom portion of the upperbody; a first spring and a second spring, at least one of which is madeof carbon fiber composite material, each one having a thin cross-sectionof less than 5 mm in thickness and being formed of a folded springdesign comprising an upper plate and a lower plate pivotally connectedtogether at one end and disposed from each other at another end, forminga gap between; the first spring and the second spring being disposedwithin the sole; the first spring being located within a front end ofthe sole having said pivotally connected portion adjacent the midsupport and the second spring being located within a back end of saidsole having the pivotally connected portion adjacent the mid support;wherein, as a foot pushes down on the first and second springs during astride, a force is exerted upon the first and second springs and theupper plate of each of the first and second springs may be substantiallycompressed against the lower plate, respectively, when the force isapplied; and wherein, as the force is removed during the stride, theupper plate of each of the first spring and the second spring movesupward to form said gap and creating bounciness within the shoe.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a shoe comprising anupper body including a back support, a mid support, a front toe sectionsand a bottom outsole; a sole interconnected to a bottom portion of theupper body; a plurality of springs configured from the sole, the soleand the plurality of springs made of carbon fiber composite material,each of the springs having a thin cross-section of less than 5 mm inthickness and formed of a folded compact spring design comprising anupper plate cut from the sole and forming a gap at one end of each ofthe springs; wherein, as the foot pushes down on the springs during astride, a force is exerted upon the springs such that the upper plate ofeach spring may be substantially compressed within the sole, and as theforce is removed during the stride, the upper plate of each spring movesupward to form the gap and creating bounciness within the shoe.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a shoe comprising anupper body including a back support, a mid support, a front toe sectionsand a bottom outsole; a sole interconnected to a bottom portion of theupper body; one or more individual springs configured from the sole, thesole and the springs being made of carbon fiber composite material, atleast one of the springs formed of a compression coil spring design withthe material having a thin cross-section of less than 5 mm in thicknessand forming a gap between a top part and a bottom part of the springs;wherein, as the foot pushes down on the springs during a stride, a forceis exerted upon the springs such that the upper plate of each spring maybe substantially compressed within the sole, and as the force is removedduring the stride, the upper plate of each spring moves upward to formthe gap and creating bounciness within the shoe.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a removable solecushion for a shoe comprising a plurality of springs configured from thesole cushion, the sole cushion and the plurality of springs made ofcarbon fiber composite material, each of the springs formed of a foldedcompression spring design with the material having a thin cross-sectionof less than 5 mm in thickness and forming a gap between a top and abottom portion of each of the springs; wherein, as the foot pushes downon the springs during a stride, a force is exerted upon the springs suchthat the upper plate of each spring may be completely compressed withinthe sole, and as the force is removed during the stride, the upper plateof each spring moves upward to form a gap and creating bounciness withinthe sole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 a-d are pictorial examples of the springs of this invention madeof carbon fiber composite;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial side view of the shoe of this invention withincorporation of folded springs described in FIG. 1 a;

FIGS. 3 a-c are pictorial examples of distributive implementation of thelightweight carbon fiber springs of this invention in the sole or as aremovable insert;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of foot main pressure points and theenhanced thickness areas of the sole;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of discrete shoe cushioning incorporating thecarbon fiber composite components being lightweight and compact;

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b are pictorial views of the shoe sole; and

FIG. 7 is a cross section view of an anti-slippery carbon fiber spikeoutsole comprising carbon fiber spikes imbedded in a rubber like base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a lightweight shoe having substantially improvedshock absorption as well as energy recycling function by incorporatingsprings or other equivalent components made of carbon fiber composite ofa variety of shapes and configurations in a variety of locations withinthe sole. The spring configurations of this invention are specificallytailored to carbon fiber composite properties and feature compactnessthat can be incorporated into a thin sole. The inventive spring designalso features amenability for mass production that can be made from asingle sheet or stow of carbon fiber composite with molding and curingprocesses. The spring cushions of this invention can be made on a singlesheet that curves to fit the foot contour for comfort. The size anddistribution of the springs can be further optimized to better cushionthe pressure points of the foot, providing a smooth spring responsivesole for the foot, which comprises a complex bone structure. Since thereare substantial up/down spring movements in the shoe of this invention,the springs are extremely “bouncy” and have exceptional impact forcedamping capability. In addition, this action also provides an air pumpaction. By incorporating through holes on the spring covers in the sole,the shoe of this invention also has unique air ventilation function thatno other shoe has.

Moreover, this invention provides protection and support for thewearer's foot without increasing the weight of the shoe by using carbonfiber composite components in the shoe sole and upper. It also providesa thin and lightweight cushion having integrated springs of carbon fibercomposite for inserting into existing shoes. Utilizing the large springdisplacement, the invention provides active ventilation to cool thefoot, preventing fungus, and odor build-up. Moreover, carbon fibercomposites are washable and do not change performance in all seasons andweather conditions.

Although the term “bounciness” or resiliently is utilized otherequivalent terms may be used which also deal with the resistance todeformation of carbon fiber. It should also be noted that the term“spring” as utilized herein is generic and encompasses variousconfigurations and designs, such as, but not limited to those shown inthe drawings or described in the specification.

It has been recognized in this invention that carbon fiber compositeshave significant advantages for spring construction over conventionalheat-treated steel or special plastics. The term “carbon” fibers areused herein in the generic sense and are intended to include graphitefibers as well as amorphous carbon fibers. Carbon fiber springs areuniquely suited for shoe application, because the technology can meetthe basic requirement of lightweight and thin sole thickness of acomfortable shoe, in additional to provide unprecedented shock forceisolation and energy recovery. The material requirement for spring isbendable yet much stronger than the maximum load so that it does notdeform. Deformation, which associated with all plastic materials,converts the kinetic energy into heat, thus losing the bouncing backeffect. The modulus of elasticity (flexibility) of the carbon fibercomposite is approximately that of the steel. On the other hand, thetensile strength of carbon fiber composite is about three times of thatof steel. This difference means that the structure can be loaded withnearly three times the load of a steel structure before permanentdeformation or fracture. In addition, the carbon fiber composites havesignificantly less weight per volume—only about 20% that of steel.Accordingly, a carbon fiber composite spring will be about 15 times asresistant to deformation compared to a steel spring using the samematerial weights. Conversely, a carbon fiber composite spring having thesame resistance as a steel spring will only weigh about 1/15 as much asthe steel spring. Carbon fiber springs are also more durable than steelsprings.

The physics of shock absorption is that the cushion materials responseto an outside force F by compressing with a displacement X and theamount energy absorbed E can be approximately as E=F*X. To respond witha comparable counter force, the polymer foams used in present shoes arerelatively stiff which reduces its compressible ratio. Current shoefoams often have compressible ratio less than 10%, consequently limitingfoam energy absorption capacity. Using springs as cushion in shoe canincrease its shock absorber capacity due to spring's large displacementratio upon impact. The inventive shoes use a type of space confinedspring designs to have large compressible ratio over 80%. It is theintent of the inventive shoe to provide maximum shock absorption withless thickness than an ordinary shoe sole. The potential shockabsorption improvement of the inventive shoe can reach at least 7 timesthat of the conventional foam shoes. Furthermore, the inventive shoeshave exceptional “bounciness,” a feature of carbon fiber composites notheretofore recognized. This bounciness can be reduced for certain shoeapplications by further incorporating surrounding rubbers in contactwith the spring to damp its shock induced oscillations.

Although not limited to four examples, four examples of the carbon fibercomposite spring 10 of this invention are shown in FIGS. 1 a-d. Thesespring configurations feature low profile in which the springs can becompressed into a thin format, especially suited for a shoe applicationthat prefers minimum sole thickness A. Another important feature of theinvention is the sheet-thin cross-section design A of preferable, butnot limited to, less than 5 mm thickness, which enhances the bendingfunction for very stiff carbon fiber composite materials.

FIG. 1 a shows spring 10A comprising an upper plate 20 and a lower plate30 connected with a pivotal section 40. At least one plate 20, 30 ismade of carbon fiber composite so that it bends down upon a forceapplied and up when the force is reduced. When the force is applied,spring 10A is configured so that plates 20 and 30 may be completelycompressed against each other, eliminating the gap 151, 152 (see FIG. 2)between them. As shown in FIG. 1 a, spring 10A can be made by folding apiece of carbon fiber composite along the pivotal section and cured toform the shape. The spring 10A is preferably produced with fibers 60running mainly longitudinally to provide maximum bending strength. It isimportant to note that spring 10A can be compressed to a minimumthickness A equal to that of two sheets of the carbon fiber plates.

FIG. 1 b shows spring 1013 made of a bendable plate 20 having a thincross section A of preferably, but not limited to, less than 5 mmthickness, connected to the base 30 by a pivotal section 40, so thatplate 20 bends downwards upon a force applied and upwards when the forceis reduced. The entire device can be cost effectively made from a carbonfiber composite sheet. The cut-out spring design 10B can be compressedback into a single sheet thickness A, a feature ideal for sole insert.The design is amenable to be fabricated with multiple springs on asingle sheet (see, for example, FIG. 3 a). As shown in FIG. 1 b, thisspring 10B can be made by cutting the spring piece out of a semi-curedcarbon fiber composite sheet and cured with a mold to form the shape.This spring 10B can also be made by molding a sheet of carbon fibercomposite with bumps and then machined to form the bendable springplates 20 and 30.

FIG. 1 c shows cut-out spring 10C made of a plate coil 20 connected to aflat base 30 by a pivotal section 40, so that plate coil 20 bendsdownwards upon a force applied and upwards when the force is reduced.This design features very small space in the Z direction, as it isvirtually close to a single sheet when full force applied, making itideal for shoe construction where thin sole and light weight aredesirable. Again, the coil 20 can be compressed into the minimumthickness A of a single sheet carbon fiber plate. Moreover, the designis amendable to be fabricated with multiple springs on a single sheet ina few steps (see, for example, FIG. 3 b). As shown in FIG. 1 c, multiplesprings 10C can be made by cutting the spring coils 20 out of asemi-cured carbon fiber composite sheet and cured with a mold to formthe final shape, having a thin cross section A of preferably, but notlimited to, less than 5 mm thickness. The springs 10C are made from aplurality of layers of carbon fiber composite, which is commerciallyavailable with an epoxy and a removable backing. The composite is curedas is known in the art.

FIG. 1 d shows stand-alone sheet coil spring 10D made of carbon fiberand having a thin cross section A of preferably, but not limited to,less than 5 mm thickness. The uniqueness of the inventive design is touse a bundle of carbon fiber stows or carbon fiber braids and mold themwith resin into the spring shape without additional machining and nomaterial wasted, achieving lowest production cost. The pyramid springconfiguration allows it to be compressed into a minimum thickness A of asingle coil diameter. Moreover, by using a continuous fiber stownaturedly aligned along the spring coil direction provides optimizedbending strength.

The springs 10A-D as shown in FIGS. 1 a-d are made from a plurality oflayers carbon fiber composite. The inventive shoe springs 10A-D caneasily be mass-produced and can be made from a single sheet of carbonfiber composite that curves to fit the foot couture for comfort. Theadvantage is that these shapes and forms can be made at room temperaturewith semi-cured epoxy and molding, followed by a final curing in avacuum baking oven to remove air traps in the carbon composites. Thesize and distribution of the springs 10A-D can be further optimized tobetter cushion the pressure points of foot, providing a smooth springresponsive sole for foot that comprises a complex bone structure.

FIG. 2 also illustrates the inventive shoe 100 with incorporation offolded springs 10A described in FIG. 1 a in both the back 140 and thefront 150 of the sole. The shoe 100 is comprised of an assembly of asole 101 and an upper 102. The inventive upper 102 contains a backsupport 110, a mid support 120, and a front toe protector 130, all madeof carbon fiber composite. The shoe support 110 in the back of the shoecovering the Achilles tendon and the shoe support 120 in the middle ofthe shoe connected to the shoe lace eyelets is important to hold thefeet during activities against twist or warbling. The back spring 140cushions the heel against impact force. The front spring 150 cushionsinner and out balls of the feet, which often land ground first. Withreference to FIG. 2, the inventive shoe 100 further comprises a rubberor foam piece 160 at the shoe bottom to touch the ground, providingtraction. FIG. 2 also depicts air pockets 151, 152 formed within the gapbetween the upper plate 20 and the lower plate 30 of each of the springs10A.

An example of adding a one-way air exhaust valve 300 in the sole is alsoshown in FIG. 2. The valve 300 is interconnected to the back air pocket152 such that air can be introduced to the sole and exhausted throughthe valve when a stride is taken. As the foot pushes down on the spring10A during a stride, the compressed air pushes the valve 300 open torelease the air underneath the foot. When the springs 10A move up as thefoot leaves the ground, fresh air sucks in to fill the gap 152 from theshoe upper breathable fabric. A cap 310 can be used to seal off thevalve 300 in winter to maintain warmth.

FIGS. 3 a-c illustrate soles 200 that incorporate carbon fiber compositesprings 10B-D in a distributed way over the entire foot. FIG. 3 a usesthe spring design 10B described in FIG. 1 b. FIG. 3 b uses the springdesign 10C described in FIG. 1 c. FIG. 3 c uses individual flat coilspring design 10D described in FIG. 1 d. FIG. 3 c is especiallydesirable for sports shoes. For example, flat coilcarbon-fiber-composite springs of various shapes and sizes can bestrategically located on a regular sole for maximum jump height forplaying basket ball.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the sole 200 is made of a carbon fibercomposite piece having various thickness in different areas so that thesprings made from this sheet will have various stiffness to match footpressure contour for better response. As shown in FIG. 4, the main forcepoint is from the heal bone 240, where more carbon fiber compositelayers 210 are added to increase the thickness and thus the springstiffness. There are also two-foot pressure points in the front: innerball 220 and outer ball 230, where more layers of carbon fiber are addedto increase the spring stiffness.

With reference to FIG. 5, the inventive shoe spring sole 410 made up ofremovable soles 200 of FIGS. 3 a-c can be further packaged with cover420 to form a discrete cushion 400 so that the wearer can insert it intotheir existing shoes 600 to convert a conventional shoe into a shoewhich uses carbon fiber composite inserts having the advantages of thepresent invention. The cushion 400 may comprise a plurality of springs10 configured from sole cushion, with both the sole cushion and theplurality of springs made of carbon fiber composite material. Each ofthe springs 10 are formed of a folded spring design and comprise anupper plate cut from the sole and forming a gap at one end of each ofthe springs. As the foot pushes down on the springs during a stride, aforce is exerted upon the springs such that the upper plate of eachspring may be completely compressed within the sole, and as the force isremoved during the stride, the upper plate of each spring moves upwardto form a gap and creating bounciness within the sole.

Since there are substantial up/down spring movements in the inventiveshoe, the springs 10A-D also act as air pumps. By incorporatingthrough-holes 430 on the spring covers in the sole, the inventive shoealso has unique air ventilation function that no other shoe has. This isillustrated in FIGS. 6 a-b, where FIG. 6 a shows air pumped out from thesole as the foot strides on the ground and FIG. 6 b shows air pumpedinto the sole through the spring corners when foot leaves the ground.This reduces odor and fungus formation as well as cools the feet,providing highly desired comfort.

Providing adequate traction by shoe outsole remains a challenge. This isbecause soft material is required to form a good contact to the groundsurface often in molecular level, but hard material is also required toprovide good grip to the ground microstructures, leading to trade-off indesign. Rubber like polymer composites are widely used to form shoebottom outsoles that contact the ground. Although various pattern andstiffness materials have been used to form the outsole tracking layer,they are insufficient for many situations, including walking on wet orslippery surfaces. The embodiment of FIG. 7 utilizes innovative tractionmaterial of nano-carbon spikes 502 that comprise embedded tiny hardcarbon fibers inside a soft rubber composite base. FIG. 7 illustrates across-section of nano-carbon fiber spike outsole 700 that is to bemounted as part of the bottom tracking layer. The embodiment comprises aplurality of ground contact projections 505 formed on the ground contactside of the sole base with a predetermined gap 507 between adjacentground contact projections in the longitudinal direction of the base.The nano-carbon fiber spike pad 515 is made of distributed carbon fibers520 that are first hardened by soaking with epoxy resin and orientedsubstantially upright relative to the ground contact surface and moldedinside a rubber composite base 530. Gaps 510 are for drainage of liquidspresent on the ground surface. The fabrication processes are well knownin the industry. It is preferred that the fibers 520 are preferably, butnot limited to, less than 5 mm in cross-section A and are aligned with asmall angle towards the walking direction B (that is, toward the frontof the outsole 700) to provide maximum grip. In the fabrication, bundleor plate of carbon fibers or stow can be used as the spikes. As a footstrides on a hard surface, the rubber composite deforms to be in tightcontact with the ground surface providing friction and at the same timethe hard carbon fiber needle spikes are pushed out to stick to theground surface griping to surface microstructures providing additionaltraction. It is also possible that at least one of the spike projections505 initially extend beyond the outsole bottom. This embodimentdrastically increases shoe traction on wet or greasy hard surface. It isgentle to hard floors and does not damage carpet. Moreover, theembodiment using carbon fibers or spikes 520 is extremely lightweight.The carbon spikes 520 embedded in rubber are always sharp and wear outtogether with the rubber base. The present invention actually providesan adaptive spike assembly, wherein force applied to the sole causes thecarbon fiber spikes to be engaged towards the ground with self-adjustedexposing length to grip the microstructure of the floor surface.

Numerous characteristics and advantages of the invention have been setforth in the foregoing description, together with details of thestructure and function of the invention, and the novel features hereofare pointed out in the appended claims. The disclosure, however, isillustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially inmatters, shape, size, and arrangement of parts, within the principle ofthe invention, to the full extend indicated by the broad general meaningof the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. For example, Asclearly evident, the term “spring” used throughout the specification isgeneric and encompasses many configurations, all of which exhibit theunique quality of “bounciness” of carbon fiber composites—that is, allcarbon fiber springs are resistant to deformation.

We claim:
 1. A shoe comprising: an upper body including a back support,a mid support, a front toe section, and a bottom outsole; a soleinterconnected to a bottom portion of said upper body; a first springand a second spring, at least one of said first spring and said secondspring made of carbon fiber composite material, each of said firstspring and said second spring having a thin cross-section and formed ofa folded spring design comprising an upper plate and a lower platepivotally connected together at one end thereof and disposed from eachother at another end thereof forming a gap there between; said firstspring and said second spring being disposed within said sole; saidfirst spring being located within a front end of said sole having saidpivotally connected portion adjacent said mid support and said secondspring being located within a back end of said sole having saidpivotally connected portion adjacent said mid support; wherein, as afoot pushes down on said first and second springs during a stride, aforce is exerted upon said first spring and said second spring and saidupper plate of each of said first spring and said second spring may besubstantially compressed against said lower plate, respectively, whenthe force is applied; and wherein, as the force is removed during thestride, said upper plate of each of said first spring and said secondspring moves upward to form said gap and creating bounciness within theshoe.
 2. The shoe as defined in claim 1, further comprising: air pocketsformed within said gap between said upper plate and said lower plate ofeach said first spring and said second spring, respectively; and a valveto said air pockets interconnected such that air can be introduced tosaid sole and exhausted through said valve when a stride is taken. 3.The shoe sole as defined in claim 1, wherein both said upper plate andsaid lower plate of said first spring and said second spring,respectively, are made of carbon fiber composite material.
 4. The shoeas defined in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of air holeslocated in said sole to permit air to be exhausted from and enter intothe sole.
 5. The shoe as defined in claim 1, wherein said carbon fibercomposite comprises fibers run substantially in the longitudinaldirection.
 6. The shoe as defined in claim 1, wherein said back support,said mid support and said front toe section are made of carbon fibercomposite material.
 7. A shoe comprising: an upper body including a backsupport, a mid support, a front toe sections and a bottom outsole; asole interconnected to a bottom portion of said upper body; a pluralityof springs configured from said sole, said sole and said plurality ofsprings made of carbon fiber composite material, each of said springshaving a thin cross-section and formed of a folded compact spring designcomprising an upper plate cut from said sole and forming a gap at oneend of each of said springs; wherein, as the foot pushes down on saidsprings during a stride, a force is exerted upon said springs such thatsaid upper plate of each said spring may be substantially compressedwithin said sole, and as the force is removed during the stride saidupper plate of each said spring moves upward to form said gap andcreating bounciness within the shoe.
 8. The shoe as defined in claim 7,further comprising: air pockets formed between said upper plate and saidsole; and a valve interconnected to said air pockets such that air canbe introduced to said sole and exhausted through said valve when astride is taken.
 9. The shoe as defined in claim 7, wherein each saidupper plate of said plurality of springs comprises a coiled plate designcut from said sole.
 10. The shoe as defined in claim 7, wherein saidplurality of springs are distributed according to a foot pressurepattern.
 11. The shoe as defined in claim 7, wherein said back support,said mid support and said front toe section are made of carbon fibercomposite material.
 12. A shoe comprising: an upper body including aback support, a mid support, a front toe sections and a bottom outsole;a sole interconnected to a bottom portion of said upper body; one ormore individual springs configured from said sole, said sole and saidsprings made of carbon fiber composite material, at least one of saidsprings formed of a compression coil spring design, said material havinga thin cross section and forming a gap between a top part and a bottompart of said springs; wherein, as the foot pushes down on said springsduring a stride, a force is exerted upon said springs such that saidupper plate of each said spring may be substantially compressed withinsaid sole, and as the force is removed during the stride said upperplate of each said spring moves upward to form said gap and creatingbounciness within the shoe.
 13. The shoe as defined in claim 12, furthercomprising: air pockets formed between said upper plate and said sole;and a valve interconnected to said air pockets such that air can beintroduced to said sole and exhausted through said valve when a strideis taken.
 14. The shoe as defined in claim 12, wherein said one or moresprings are distributed according to a foot pressure pattern.
 15. Theshoe as defined in claim 12, wherein said back support, said mid supportand said front toe section are made of carbon fiber composite material.16. A removable sole cushion for a shoe comprising: a plurality ofsprings configured from said sole cushion, said sole cushion and saidplurality of springs made of carbon fiber composite material, each ofsaid springs formed of a folded compression spring design, said materialhaving a thin cross-section and forming a gap between a top and a bottomportion of each of said springs; wherein, as the foot pushes down onsaid springs during a stride, a force is exerted upon said springs suchthat said upper plate of each said spring may be completely compressedwithin said sole, and as the force is removed during the stride saidupper plate of each said spring moves upward to form a gap and creatingbounciness within the sole.
 17. The removable sole cushion as defined inclaim 16, wherein said plurality of springs comprise a compression coilspring design with said thin cross-section made of carbon fibercomposite.
 18. The removable sole cushion as defined in claim 16,wherein said plurality of springs comprise a compression leaf springdesign with said thin cross-section made of carbon fiber composite. 19.The removable shoe sole cushion as defined in claim 16, wherein saidplurality of springs are distributed according to foot pressure pattern.20. The removable shoe sole cushion as defined in claim 16, furthercomprising a plurality of air holes located in said sole cushion topermit air to be exhausted from and enter into said sole cushion. 21.The shoe as defined in claim 1, wherein said outsole is a carbon fiberspike outsole comprising hardened carbon fiber spikes distributed andimbedded in a rubber composite base; wherein said fiber spikes aresubstantially aligned with each other and substantially upright to theground; and wherein, as the foot pushes down on said first and secondsprings during a stride on a hard surface, said carbon spikes are pushedout to grip the hard surface, creating additional traction.
 22. The shoeas defined in claim 7, wherein said outsole is a carbon fiber spikeoutsole comprising hardened carbon fiber spikes distributed and imbeddedin a rubber composite base; wherein said fiber spikes are substantiallyaligned with each other and substantially upright to the ground; andwherein, as the foot pushes down on said plurality of springs during astride on a hard surface, said carbon spikes are pushed out to grip thehard surface, creating additional traction.
 23. The shoe as defined inclaim 12, wherein said outsole is a carbon fiber spike outsolecomprising hardened carbon fiber spikes distributed and imbedded in arubber composite base; wherein said fiber spikes are substantiallyaligned with each other and substantially upright to the ground; andwherein, as the foot pushes down on said one or more individual springsduring a stride on a hard surface, said carbon spikes are pushed out togrip the hard surface, creating additional traction.
 24. The removablesole cushion as defined in claim 16, wherein the removable sole cushionis positioned within a shoe having an outsole in the form of a carbonfiber spike outsole comprising hardened carbon fiber spikes distributedand imbedded in a rubber composite base; wherein said fiber spikes aresubstantially aligned with each other and substantially upright to theground; and wherein, as a foot pushes down on said shoe during a strideon a hard surface, said carbon spikes are pushed out to grip the hardsurface, creating additional traction.
 25. The shoe as defined in claim21, wherein said hardened carbon fiber spikes have a cross-sectionalsize of less than 5 mm in thickness or diameter.
 26. The shoe as definedin claim 22, wherein said hardened carbon fiber spikes have across-sectional size of less than 5 mm in thickness or diameter.
 27. Theshoe as defined in claim 23, wherein said hardened carbon fiber spikeshave a cross-sectional size of less than 5 mm in thickness or diameter.28. The removable shoe cushion as defined in claim 24, wherein saidhardened carbon fiber spikes have a cross-sectional size of less than 5mm in thickness or diameter.
 29. The shoe as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid thin cross-section is less than 5 mm in thickness.
 30. The shoe asdefined in claim 7, wherein said thin cross-section is less than 5 mm inthickness.
 31. The shoe as defined in claim 12, wherein said thincross-section is less than 5 mm in thickness.
 32. The removeable solecushion as defined in claim 16, wherein said thin cross-section is lessthan 5 mm in thickness.